By Amanda MacArthur |
The best bit of advice I have learned about garden planning is to group your vegetables and herbs together that have similar watering and light requirements. Generally, when we envision ideas for a raised bed vegetable garden layout, we might be tempted to put vegetables where we think they’ll look best, or simply fit best, but experienced gardeners spend early spring planning their gardens for a good reason, so let’s get into all the things to consider before you build your beds and lay them out.
- Pick Plants that Make Good Roommates
One reason why the pros spend so much time planning is because there are such things as incompatible plants—like their moon signs are polar opposites and you definitely shouldn’t ask them to share an apartment. Have you ever had a toxic roommate? Some vegetables are considered allelopathic, meaning they may have either toxic behaviors or even chemicals that can harm plants around them, such as tomatoes, beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, peas, and soybeans.
There are others that just don’t seem to get along, according to many gardeners. For example, dill and carrots, cabbage and strawberries, mint and asparagus, potatoes and tomatoes, or peppers and beans.
Some better pairings include tomatoes with basil, corn and green beans, carrots and onions, lettuce and chives, and carrots and leeks. These pairings have benefits of either improving the soil, optimizing a growing environment, or keeping specific bugs away. I recommend looking more into companion planting when planning your raised bed vegetable garden layout.
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- Group Plants with Similar Light Requirements
Keeping everything above in mind, organize your sun-soaking plants together, and your shady plants together. Or, you can use your sun-loving plants to shade their more fair-skinned friends.
With enough foresight, you can also get creative by planting companion plants together. For example, if you plant carrots behind tomatoes, the tomatoes will shade the light for the carrots, who prefer shade. Corn and green beans, which have similar light requirements, also thrive together because you can allow the beans to use the corn stalks as a trellis, while the beans actually improve the soil for the corn too.
- Group Plants that Like/Dislike Water
This one is particularly important, as well as grouping veggies together that like a similar type of soil. Again, keeping the bad roommate situations above in mind, I like to organize my raised bed vegetable garden layout in a way where I can water one section at a time. I’m actually lucky enough that the home I bought had a built-in sprinkler system and I’ve been able to tinker with it to water different sections longer and shorter, but the same can be done with a hose.
Since I enjoy manually watering my garden, it’s helpful to separate the Pisces from the Aries in the garden so that everybody gets the water they want.
- Consider Your Back
If you don’t like bending over to weed your garden, you’re not alone. When thinking of your raised bed vegetable garden layout, think about how high you’ll want your raised beds to be.
I love this 32″ tall raised bed on Amazon:
A good friend of mine who is quite pregnant, recently had her husband build some waist-high garden beds for her, so that she could still enjoy gardening without all the bending over, and it made me wish I had a full-sized waist-high garden myself! My body would probably argue that I could use the exercise, but it sure sounds nice, doesn’t it?
- Give Yourself Room
The benefits of building raised beds are mostly convenience. Less bending to weed, more organized plants, and spacing to move between your plants. The best raised bed vegetable garden layout generally has at least a 2 – 3 foot wide path between boxes, allowing you to crouch, harvest, and weed easily. Many gardeners prefer a stone or sand pathway that’s easy to maintain without using any chemicals to keep the weeds out.
However, if you don’t have the space or budget for that, you can easily do it with the lawn in between, just leave enough room for your lawnmower to move through. The grass clippings can actually make great mulch if it’s untreated.
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If you have any other raised bed vegetable garden layout ideas, I’d love to hear them in the comments below. Getting personal anecdotes from other gardeners is my favorite part of this community!
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Discover 7 top tips for growing, harvesting, and enjoying tomatoes from your home garden—when you access the FREE guide The Best Way to Grow Tomatoes, right now!
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As an experienced gardener and enthusiast, I can provide valuable insights and information on garden planning and vegetable bed layouts. I have extensive knowledge in this area and can offer practical advice based on best practices and personal experience.
In this article, the author discusses the importance of grouping vegetables and herbs together based on their watering and light requirements. This is a key aspect of garden planning that experienced gardeners prioritize. By grouping plants with similar needs together, you can ensure they thrive and grow optimally.
Pick Plants that Make Good Roommates
One important consideration when planning your garden layout is to choose plants that are compatible with each other. Some plants have allelopathic properties, meaning they release chemicals that can harm or inhibit the growth of other plants around them. For example, tomatoes, beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, peas, and soybeans are considered allelopathic and should be kept separate from other plants.
There are also certain plant combinations that don't get along well. For instance, dill and carrots, cabbage and strawberries, mint and asparagus, potatoes and tomatoes, or peppers and beans are not recommended to be planted together.
On the other hand, there are beneficial pairings that can improve soil quality, optimize growing environments, or repel specific pests. Some examples of good plant companions include tomatoes with basil, corn and green beans, carrots and onions, lettuce and chives, and carrots and leeks.
To learn more about companion planting and explore different plant combinations, I recommend further research on this topic.
Group Plants with Similar Light Requirements
Another important aspect of garden planning is organizing plants based on their light requirements. Sun-loving plants should be grouped together, while shade-loving plants can be placed in areas that receive less direct sunlight. You can also use taller plants to provide shade for more delicate plants that prefer less sun exposure. For example, planting carrots behind tomatoes allows the tomatoes to shade the carrots, which prefer shade.
Certain plant combinations, such as corn and green beans, thrive together because they have similar light requirements. In this case, the beans can use the corn stalks as a trellis, while the beans contribute to improving the soil for the corn.
Group Plants that Like/Dislike Water
It is important to consider the watering needs of different vegetables when planning your garden layout. Grouping plants with similar water requirements together can make watering more efficient. This can be particularly helpful if you prefer manual watering or have a built-in sprinkler system that allows you to water different sections separately.
By organizing your raised bed vegetable garden layout in a way that allows you to water one section at a time, you can ensure that each plant receives the appropriate amount of water. This can be especially beneficial if you have plants that prefer different levels of moisture. For example, separating plants that require more water, like Pisces, from those that prefer drier conditions, like Aries, can help ensure that each plant gets the water it needs.
Consider Your Back
When planning your raised bed vegetable garden layout, it's important to consider your own comfort and physical limitations. If you prefer not to bend over to weed your garden, you can design your raised beds to be at a height that allows you to work comfortably. Waist-high raised beds, for example, can be a great option for those who want to minimize bending and strain on their back.
Give Yourself Room
One of the benefits of building raised beds is the convenience they offer. To make the most of this convenience, it's recommended to leave at least a 2-3 foot wide path between the raised beds. This allows for easy movement, harvesting, and weeding. Many gardeners prefer using stone or sand pathways that are easy to maintain without the use of chemicals to control weeds. However, if space or budget constraints don't allow for separate pathways, you can still create enough room for movement by leaving sufficient space between the beds for your lawnmower to pass through. The grass clippings can even be used as mulch if they are untreated.
In conclusion, when planning your raised bed vegetable garden layout, it's important to consider factors such as plant compatibility, light requirements, water needs, your own comfort, and providing enough space for easy movement. By taking these factors into account, you can create an organized and thriving garden. Happy gardening!
Note: The information provided in this response is based on this article and my own expertise in gardening.
